is (at best)
fine-grained, dense, hard and pure-white frit composition,
closely resembling the finer types of Persian frit, and
occasional fine-quality Fatimid ware; it is distinct from the
coarser, more friable material of "Raqqa" and later
Egyptian and Persian products; the coarseness and texture differ
from piece to piece, and the larger vessels tend to have coarser
walls which is more practical to prevent the glaze crackling.

the glaze is usually transparent
though occasionally opacified (probably with tin-oxide) when
decorated with lustre; it is thin, brilliant, colourless, and has
a tendency to crackle; may be stained blue with cobalt, turquoise
with copper, purple (more rarely) with manganese. These minerals
also act as a flux. There is only one instance of an opacified
coloured glaze (turquoise), which is also the only non-lustred
piece with an opacified glaze, which suggests that the ingredient
used in opacification (tin-oxide) was probably only considered
worthwhile in the production of the most expensive pieces. The
glazes cling closely to the body and do not run in thick drips
down the outer walls, as they do in "Raqqa" ware, and
they also rarely pool in the interior (generally only when the
glaze is coloured). The glaze covers the exterior to just above
the footring which is unglazed as is the base; the incised wares
frequently have blue splashes in the form of 4 radiating streaks,
but this is not found combined with lustre (which is not however
uncommon in Fatimid ware, occasionally in Persian).

i) high-footed (conical) bowl c.20
cms in diameter with a flat base, and straight or slightly curved
sides that flare directly from foot-ring; this sometimes has a
narrow flaring rim;

ii) (less common) dish with
sharply articulated wall ending in a flaring rim; incised wares
in this shape vary from 30 to 35 cms; smaller versions occur in
lustre, with a more angular shape and broader rim. The cutting of
the foot is distinctive: the ring flares out to a point
two-thirds of the way down, then cuts sharply inwards; inside of
the ring it is cut so that the bowl stands on a sharp not a flat
edge. This is found on all except the larger pieces which have a
broader ring, and the details of turning vary from piece to
piece: this is characteristic to the point of being diagnostic;
it is not found in Egypt and only rarely in Persia.

The bowls are consistent in size,
varying from 19cm-21cm in diameter. Shallow dishes with smooth
curved walls and a horizontal rim occur in non-lustred pieces:
these anticipate a standard "Raqqa" shape, but are more
finely turned. There are only a few examples of vases, jugs with
a pinched lip, bowls with vertical walls (some of great size).
There seems to be no statistical significance in the relationship
of shapes to types of decoration, though the conical bowl seems
to have been the potters major output.

What was the source of these
shapes? Fatimid Egypt provides prototypes for every one (except
for the pinched-lip jug which seems to be confined to Syria)
though they a have heavier, more rounded appearance since they
use coarser clays and frits, and are more careless thrown and
turned. The simple flaring bowl is structurally sound and the
shape helps to prevent the fragile frit body from cracking or
collapsing: this is perhaps why it is also so popular in Persian
and Egyptian frit.

A general characteristic of
"Tell Minis" wares is the precision with which they
have been turned after throwing, and the extreme thinness of the
walls, even on the large pieces. It is not uncommon for them to
be 3 or 4mm, which gives them a refined feel; this demands
considerable expertise of the potters, apart from their skill at
decorating, and distinguishes them from Raqqa potters.